Chapter Nine: Laru, the Literary Maiden, Las

Tang Yi had no idea what kind of novels little Laroulace might enjoy, so he randomly found two fantasy novels, downloaded them onto the computer, and then taught Laroulace the basics of using it. The girl was clever; after watching just once, she pretty much got the hang of it.

After that, Tang Yi left little Laroulace to her own devices and began reviewing his schoolwork.

Well, truthfully, he was just slacking off...

Although he didn’t plan to start specialized training so soon, he still needed to have a training plan in place to prepare for the future.

Among the skills Laroulace could master early on, the Fairy-type’s Enchanting Voice and the Psychic-type’s Telekinesis were the most effective offensive moves.

But reality was harsh. In this world, there were no skill machines or discs; teaching a spirit maiden a new move from scratch required a lot of time and effort.

Especially for Psychic abilities, which rely on mental attacks—these are much harder to cultivate than physical moves like Tackle or Quick Attack.

That’s why most novice trainers were reluctant to choose Psychic-type eggs as their starter Pokémon.

Unless you wanted a trophy companion, mastering Psychic skills early on was both time-consuming and expensive.

The commonly accepted method for developing Psychic moves, according to the internet, was repeated meditation to focus mental strength. Once a certain mental threshold was reached, the Pokémon could gradually learn psychic techniques.

As for how to elevate one’s mental state, there were countless methods, varying from one Pokémon to another. Even the most reputable training centers couldn’t guarantee success.

In comparison, Enchanting Voice was much easier. It was an attack delivered through sound; while not powerful, it never missed as long as the opponent could hear it.

Tang Yi considered that perhaps he should find time to have little Laroulace practice singing first?

He’d read online that some people tried this approach, though whether it truly worked was anyone’s guess.

All in all, it was quite a headache.

Fortunately, there was still plenty of time—no need to rush.

After researching for a good while, Tang Yi realized it was nearly evening. He stood up, stretched, and glanced back, only to be surprised: little Laroulace was sitting upright on the chair, her pale legs swinging rhythmically in the air, her clear red eyes fixed unblinkingly on the computer screen, her small hands slowly scrolling the mouse downward.

She’d been in that position for almost three hours now.

He’d only meant to give her something to pass the time—had this little one actually become engrossed in novels?

Tang Yi quietly crept up behind her and peeked at the screen, only to discover that the novel she was reading wasn’t one of the fantasy stories he’d downloaded.

The title on the screen read: “The Tyrannical Queen Charizard Maiden Falls in Love with Me.”

Why did that title feel so oddly familiar?

“Where did you find this novel?” Tang Yi couldn’t help but ask.

Startled, little Laroulace instinctively moved the mouse, trying to hide the page.

“Alright, no need to hide it—I’ve already seen,” Tang Yi said with a hint of exasperation.

“It was, um, on the internet,” Laroulace stammered, sensing Tang Yi’s faint displeasure. Her tone was timid, and she shrank her eyes behind her bangs—as if, by not seeing him, she wouldn’t have to fear him.

“Do you really like reading these kinds of novels?” Tang Yi softened his tone and gently brushed aside the hair covering her large red eyes.

“I don’t really understand much of it. There are lots of words I don’t know. But... it feels amazing,” the girl replied, not resisting his touch, though her cheeks flushed with shyness.

“Why do you think it’s amazing?”

“Well, the world in the book... it’s magical.”

Ah, the curiosity of a little girl.

Still, Tang Yi had his reservations. If she read too many of these domineering CEO-style novels, wouldn’t she get silly? How would she ever train her psychic skills then?

He admonished her seriously, “You shouldn’t read books like this anymore.”

“But...”

“Try some other kinds of novels instead.” Tang Yi thought for a moment. In this world, though there were novels, the variety was limited. After considering for a while, he said, “Let me tell you a story.”

This way, he could help Laroulace improve her language skills, pass the time, and strengthen their bond—all at once.

Tang Yi was rather pleased with his idea.

He decided to begin with “The Legend of the Condor Heroes.” Though he couldn’t recite it all by heart, he was so familiar with the details that he could improvise as needed for any forgotten parts.

It was a long tale, but fortunately, both of them had all the time in the world.

In this world, there were no martial arts stories, no Jin Yong. For Laroulace, what she truly enjoyed was the unprecedented sense of wonder the stories gave her.

Sure enough, little Laroulace quickly became enchanted, completely abandoning the CEO novels. Of course, there were still many things she didn’t understand.

So Tang Yi began teaching her how to use online search functions, how to ask questions, and how to find answers.

If even the internet couldn’t provide an answer, only then would Tang Yi step in to help.

In short, his principle was that it’s better to teach someone to fish than to simply give them a fish. He wanted to nurture Laroulace’s ability to think independently.

The key to raising a Psychic-type spirit maiden lay in mental strength. Tang Yi felt that this approach might help Laroulace build her own inner world, making it easier to learn psychic skills later on.

Thus, the short winter break passed by carefree and untroubled.

Laroulace had grown to the height of a human girl of about eleven or twelve, becoming more and more graceful. Tang Yi sometimes felt as if he truly were raising a daughter—a strange sensation, considering he had only just reached adulthood himself!

Only when he caught a glimpse of the red horn atop her head did Tang Yi remember that, biologically speaking, this shy young girl wasn’t truly human.

Laroulace’s language lessons were essentially finished; she could converse normally with Tang Yi now. When she encountered an unfamiliar word, she would look it up herself online.

In any case, the holiday was over.

Laroulace remained as shy as ever, but from the subtle upward curve of her lips, Tang Yi could recognize that beautiful, reserved smile.

Although Laroulace hadn’t mastered any skills yet, Tang Yi was certain that her first month of life had been a very happy one.

And that was enough.

“Starting tomorrow, I’ll be at school during the day. It’s necessary, for the university entrance exams,” Tang Yi told her on the last day of break.

“What’s the benefit of going to university?” she asked.

“Well, if I get into university, I can earn a mid-level trainer’s license. Then I’ll be able to find more sisters for you to play with. Isn’t that exciting?”

“I don’t want to play, but having someone to read with would be nice.” Laroulace’s eyes were filled with longing. Ever since discovering novels, she hadn’t cared much for playing outside.

Tang Yi had just finished narrating all of “The Legend of the Condor Heroes” a couple of days ago and had recently started “The Return of the Condor Heroes.” He was beginning to doubt whether this storytelling method really helped cultivate mental strength, but having started, he couldn’t stop now.

Laroulace was now completely obsessed with novels.

Perhaps he should rename her: Larou, the Literary Maiden.